The present invention relates generally to pickup trucks and beds for pickup trucks, and more particularly to pickup truck beds for downsized, light chassis pickup trucks that will be soon marketed in response to the need for a light duty vehicle having the capabilities of a pickup truck yet having efficient fuel economy to be relatively economical in times of high fuel cost. The dropside pickup bed of the present invention utilizes a rear tailgate as in conventional pickup trucks, but also includes dropside gates on both sides of the bed forward of the rear wheel wells to provide greater access to the bed of the pickup truck. The present bed construction also provides a lower access, i.e. sits lower on the chassis of the truck, to require less force to lift a load either manually or mechanically into the truck, since the load will not have to be lifted as high. An additional feature is that inboard and outboard supports are provided underneath the bed to permit it to carry a much higher load than an unsupported structure would be capable in combination with the above-mentioned low profile, increased access construction.
The above features are also provided in a design wherein the outboard surfaces of the gates of the pickup truck are contoured to blend in with the outboard surface contours of the truck. The inboard sides of the preferred embodiment are substantially straight to provide optimum strength for the gates when in a closed position and support members are secured to the gate along its inboard side to provide strength to resist against loads disposed in the bed that may be forced against the gate. The gates are also situated so that when dropped or opened, the access may be wide enough to permit a conventional sized pallet to be placed onto the truck through the gate by a fork lift truck or the like. Thus, the dropside pickup bed of the present invention provides a durable, aesthetically appealing, light-weight, relatively inexpensive bed for a pickup truck having numerous features which are desirable to those in the art who utilize pickup trucks in commerce.
Other objects and advantages of the instant invention will be apparent from the following specification, claims and drawings.